St. Angela Merici was the youngest of five children. Her parents were very devout Catholics, and taught Angela much about the faith. Her father would even read her stories of the saints every night, which filled Angela with the desire to become a saint herself.
When Angela was only a teenager, both of her parents died, leaving her an orphan. She was sent to live with her uncle, who continued to help her grow in the faith.
Not long after, tragedy struck the family again when Angela’s sister died. Angela was especially distressed by this death because her sister had not received the Last Rites before she died. She worried for her sister’s salvation.
As Angela wrestled with her grief, she turned to prayer. In prayer, God revealed His desire for her to completely devote herself to Him as a consecrated virgin. God also revealed her life’s mission: To help as many people as possible come to know Him. This mission was especially inspired by the fact that Angela’s sister did not receive the Last Rites.
In prayer, Angela also sought a sign of her sister’s soul’s condition. In prayer, Angela received a vision of her sister in Heaven, which brought her much comfort.
Angela became more and more devout. Eventually, she joined the Third Order of the Franciscans, and she officially pledged to forever remain a virgin.
Angela’s uncle died when she was 20, so she returned to her hometown. When she returned home, she was extremely moved by the many girls in her hometown who had no education or religious upbringing, and was upset that their parents had not educated them.
Angela had received her own home in lieu of her dowry. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, she began to address the need for girls’ education herself. She opened her home to many girls and began to teach them. Other women in the town joined in this mission and opened their homes as well.
Eventually, Angela was invited to live in another town to serve as a live-in companion to a widow. In this new town, Angela began another house dedicated to the education of young women and became a spiritual advisor to many.
Later in her life, Angela took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While on the trip, Angela became blind. On the way home, she prayed before a crucifix. During this prayer, she regained her sight. God used this experience to show her to never shut her eyes to the needs she saw or to God’s call.
Angela’s calling was revealed and fulfilled when, at the age of 60, she and 12 other women founded the Company of St. Ursula. St. Ursula, their patron, was also a patroness of universities. The Company’s way of life was new: they would live in the world as single women consecrated to Christ, and not in a monastery. They would not wear special clothing or make formal vows.
Angela was the mother and mistress of the Company members until her death. The Company’s Rule was formally approved by the pope four years after her death. It continues to exist in 30 different countries today.
Lessons From St. Angela Merici
St. Angela Merici’s life is a great example of posttraumatic growth, or growth after trauma. As a reminder, posttraumatic growth can show up in the following five ways:
- A greater appreciation of life and a changed sense of priorities, often due to new beliefs and assumptions gained from processing the trauma
- Warmer, more intimate relationships with others, often due to disclosing one’s trauma to others and experiencing social support during the healing process
- A greater sense of personal strength. Knowing you have made it through something difficult can foster a strong belief in your ability to do hard things.
- A richer spiritual life. This richer spiritual life can also be due to changed assumptions and beliefs, and potentially turning to God for support.
- Seeing new possibilities in life, such as a new mission, path, or cause to support. Seeing these new possibilities is also often due to new assumptions and beliefs.
For Angela, posttraumatic growth looked like a richer spiritual life and the discovery of new possibilities. After the deaths of her family members, her spiritual life grew stronger. Additionally, the death of her sister especially led to her mission of educating others about God. She discovered this mission through wrestling with her grief in prayer.
May we learn from her the importance of bringing our shattered hearts to God in prayer, trusting that He will repair them and bring new life from them.